A Child's Fear
by A'den Neytiri Kad
Summary: Sasuke always meant to come off cold and distant. But when he encounters his classmate during a storm, will he just keep walking? Or will he do something to comfort her? *SasuSaku for Usagi and Escapism*
1. Chapter 1

A Child's Fear

By: A'den Neytiri Kad

**Author's Note**

This was written for Usagi and Escapism for her many kind words on some of my other fics. I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>"Oh no!"<p>

"Come on, Ino! It's starting to rain!"

"Wait, where's Sakura?"

"Who cares? She's probably home already."

"Okay..."

The dozen of children swiftly scattered beneath the falling drops, laughing and yelling at one another as they raced home.

Sakura smiled, walking out into the playground, a large pink flower in hand. "Hey, Ino, look what I found! Ino?" She looked around at the deserted equipment, her eyes watering despite her will. 'They left me...' She squeaked softly as the lightning flashed above her. 'I-I have to get home...' She ran as quickly as her short legs could carry her, sliding and slipping as the grass grew slick with water. She skidded onto the road, flailing as she tried to regain her balance. She tumbled onto the ground, landing in a heap near the bottom of the stairs leading up onto her street. She crawled over to the side, hugging her legs tightly as the thunder commenced. She cried softly as the crashes became louder, covering her ears in an attempt to muffle the great noise.

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><p>Sasuke sighed softly, wandering through the bustling crowds with ease. He passed by the park, ignoring the invitations by the other kids to play. They were so carefree... A small part of him envied them. They had a family to care for them. They had friends to play with. They didn't have the weight of their clan forced upon their shoulders, unlike him. He couldn't afford to waste time playing. He had something to do, a purpose. He needed to concentrate on that. He had to finish it as soon as he could. He turned his ebony gaze to the darkening sky, raindrops landing softly against his pale skin. He shrugged, continuing on his trek through the village. Shinobi were supposed to fight in all kinds of terrain and weather, and so would he. Something else caught his attention as he rounded the next corner, drawing him from his deep thoughts. He kneeled down next to the bush, carefully prying its branches away and peering inside.<p>

His eyes widened slightly as he recognized the huddled figure of his classmate. 'Sakura, that's her name.' She was soaked and shivering, hands clasped tightly over her ears as she hid farther into the dense shrub. He rolled his eyes, noticing that a rather large flower was still in her one hand. He carefully crawled inside, sliding in next to her. He gently laid his hands over hers, sighing. 'Why am I doing this, exactly..?' He felt her tilt her head up, green eyes gazing up at him in shock. He ignored the girl, staring straight ahead at the curtain of rain falling outside. Of course, they were still getting wet, but there wasn't much he could do about that. So, he settled more comfortably in the shrubery, waiting out the storm in silence.

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><p>Sakura felt something warm over her hands, and she jumped. She looked up into the face of none other than Sasuke Uchiha. She gasped softly, fighting the blush threatening to overtake her cheeks. She turned back, smiling softly to herself. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sound of her racing heart and not the feel of the cold skin of her crush against hers. She didn't know how long they sat there for, but after a while, she felt a gentle tug on her hands. She opened her eyes once more, looking up.<p>

"Come on. The rain's stopped."

"O-okay..." She crawled after him, shivering. She glanced up at Sasuke once more before hanging her head. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. You must be wet.."

He rolled his eyes, offering his hand down to her. "Come on. It's getting dark."

She nodded, taking his hand gently. "T-thank you, Sasuke-kun."

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><p>"Aw, come on! We can keep going in the rain!"<p>

"No. We're gonna stop."

"But, sensei-"

"No."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the blonde's grumbling, coming to a halt next to their teacher. "Shut up, baka. He said we're going to stop."

"Well, at least I can eat now."

"Dobe."

"Teme."

Kakashi Hatake sighed, shaking his head. "Set up your tents before it starts raining harder."

Sakura hurried, glancing up at the dark clouds above the tree canopy. 'Please let it be not that bad...'

Sasuke had his tent already up, and he was currently peering out of it at the rest of his team. He sneaked a few glances at the pinkette as she skillfully pitched her tent. 'I wonder if she ever grew out of that..'

"If it stops raining soon, we leave by dawn, okay?" And with that little announcement, their perverted sensei dived into the safety of his own dry haven to read more of his beloved Icha Icha, no doubt.

Sakura crawled into hers at last, going right into her sleeping bag. She curled her legs to her chest, the first flash of light warning her what was next. She swiftly ducked under the blankets and smothered her ears, humming under her breath to attempt to block out the surrounding noise.

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><p>Sasuke Uchiha sighed as the storm commenced. He would look out of his tent occassionally to glance over at his teammate's tent, his mind racing despite his attempts to calm it. 'It certainly wouldn't hurt...' He silently slipped from his tent, dashing to the other and crawling inside. He blinked, spotting long strands of rosy pink sticking out from beneath the blankets. He took a seat near the top, carefully pushing the fabric down until he reached the pale face of his comrade. He gently pulled her head into his lap, placing his hands deftly over hers. He glanced down, ebony eyes meeting emerald. He quickly too to staring at the other end of the tent, a faint blush creeping over his nose.<p>

He watched as she slowly relaxed, the thunder beginning to fade outside the tent. As her breathing deepened, Sasuke smiled. He gingerly brushed a few stray rosy strands from her forehead. He 'hm'ed softly, starting to make his way to the mouth of the tent. He heard her sigh softly, turning over onto her side. He frowned, listening to the rain as it lessened, then picked up again. It fell heavily against the fabric above his head, causing him to peek out at the dark sky. He shook his head, closing and securely latching the flap down. His mind flickered through several scenarios in rapid succession, earning a small sigh from the boy. He silently moved back to his comrade, unzipping the side of her sleeping bag. He slid in beside her, careful not to jostle her as she slept. He gently placed his hands back over her ears, rolling his eyes as he imagined Naruto's face if he saw them like this. 'It doesn't matter. I'll leave before she wakes up.'

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><p>Well, you can imagine Kakashi's surprise when he peeked into the pinkette's tent and found a certain set of dark spikes inside. And in the same bag to boot. 'Oh well, kids will be kids.' Kakashi just smiled, closing the flap and moving onto the blonde's. 'Poor Sasuke. He has no idea...'<p>

Sakura heard the flap open from the outside and smiled softly. She slowly closed her eyes again as her sensei walked away, quite comfortable next to the raven-haired boy. 'I never did say I wasn't afraid of the thunder anymore. Whoops.'

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><p><strong>In case you didn't notice, the beginning section took place when they were small children. The bottom happened shortly after Team 7 was formed.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

This was written both due to a suggestion to make this a two-shot and the fact that I wanted to continue it a bit further. XD Enjoy the second chapter!

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><p>"Sasuke? What's wrong? You always seem so moody during storms."<p>

"Go away, Suigetsu."

"Is about her, isn't it? It's about that pink-haired chick that almost found us."

"Shut. Up."

The silvery-haired shinobi chuckled, ignoring the sword now pointed at his throat. "You need to do a better job of hiding it." He began to frown as the blade started to cackle and glow.

"Get out."

"Alright, alright. Geez, Mr. Moody." He slipped out of the way, exiting the room quickly.

"What's the matter with Sasuke-kun? He's not sick, is he? Maybe I should go and check on-"

"Bug off, Karin. And don't go in there. He might try to kill you. Although, we'd all be better off if that happened."

"Baka! You're so mean. Why, of all the other people…"

Sasuke sighed as their bickering faded and went back to his post at the window. The lightning flashed brilliantly, bathing the room in a ghostly glow before it lapsed back into darkness. The thunder rattled the windowpane, shaking his reflection.

He would never admit it, but Suigetsu was actually right. Every storm, every crash of thunder reminded him of her. Their few experiences together had changed him in a way he didn't even understand. He sighed, resigning himself to his bed. It was times like this he wished she had succeeded in finding them. She had come so close to them. He should've let her. If she had spent the past few years thinking about him as much as he thought, she most certainly would have stayed. At least, he had secretly hoped.

His thoughts turned once more to the angry sky outside, eyes closing reluctantly against his will. If he thought hard enough, he could still remember what if felt like to be beside her. Brushing against her skin, breathing in her sweet scent, he knew what would happen if they pursued it then. She would never have lived the life she wanted. But that didn't keep him from longing for it. He was the most comfortable and relaxed around her. She would never know how much she affected him.

"Sakura," he whispered softly, gazing at the light play on his ceiling. "I will never forget."

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><p>"It's always about her," Karin whispered vehemently as she stomped into her temporary home. "What's so special about her? She's nothing more than a-"<p>

"Silence."

The kunoichi quickly obeyed, turning to face the intruder. "Sasuke… There'll never be room for me, will there?"

The Uchiha shook his head, sliding his sword into its sheath on his back.

She sighed, taking off her glasses. "I see."

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><p>Sakura stretched, giving a small purr of relief as her back popped. She flopped down on her bed, running a hand through her messy locks. The day at the hospital had been nothing but a continuous flow of people, shinobi and citizens alike. She had been the busiest of all, jumping from patient to patient. It had definitely been a hard day. But, it had all been worth it. She could finally support not only herself, but her friends, too. She smiled softly to herself, quickly slipping out of her doctor attire and into her favorite shorts and tank top. She opened the window beside her bed, observing the bustling village silently.<p>

'Sasuke, how could you not want to be a part of this?'

She sighed, returning to her bed and sliding beneath the sheets. She willed her eyelids to close, taking deep breaths to calm her racing thoughts. 'Please, Sasuke. Please come home…"

The next she knew, she was being pelted with rain. She jumped out of her tangle of blankets, fighting the whipping curtains to the window. She slammed it shut, gazing at the now dark sky above. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the wall.

Her thoughts turned inward, eyes unfocused. She swore some nights it felt like he was right there next to her, breathing into her ear. She shook her head. It was nothing more than her mind playing tricks on her. She knew everyone pitied her, and she resented it. The tragic love story of the generation, that's all it was. She scowled, knuckles cracking in protest as her fingers clenched into fists.

Yes, she missed him. But she could never say that aloud. She had to get over, and she had tried desperately. Her thoughts always flitted back to him, though.

"Sasuke…"

She watched the lightning passively, goosebumps rising on her arms. She tilted her head at the spectacle, eyebrow quirked. It had been a long time since that had happened. She heard a board creak from the hallway, and her eyes instantly narrowed.

Like most shinobi, she had several protection jutsus surrounding her apartment, alerting her to any unexpected guests. She silently pulled a kunai from beneath her pillow, eyes trained on the door. She waited until the door slowly swung open before she threw the steel weapon at full strength at the intruder.

Her breath caught in her throat as it was caught by deft fingers. The figure dropped the weapon on the floor, nudging the door closed with their foot. The person took a step forward, their face illuminated for several seconds in the light. Sakura's fell back to her side as she stared in shock. "…Sasuke?"

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><p>It was that single word that brought him back to reality. He gazed down at his former teammate, observing her intently. She seemed almost angelic when the bolts of light flashed behind her. He took another tentative step toward her, hand outstretched. He gently brushed a few short strands from her forehead, caressing her skin. Her arms came up around his waist, pulling him into a tight hug. He softly stroked her hair, waiting patiently for her to release him. "Sakura."<p>

"Why, Sasuke? Why are you here after all this time?"

"I had to see you." He could feel her trembling, and he hugged her protectively. "I never meant to hurt you.

"But… I don't…"

He shushed her quietly, resting his chin on top of her head. "I never wanted to go, but Orochimaru forced my hand. If I had stayed, he would've killed you. He knew."

Her silence startled him slightly. He expected her to pummel him with questions and accusations. He took a step back, tilting the young woman's face up.

"Sakura-"

"I knew it. I knew you'd come back. I don't care what you've done, Sasuke. I have, and always will, loved you."

He smiled softly, leaning down and her embracing her softly.

"You're gonna leave again, aren't you?"

"Yes."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes as the window shook, thunder crashing outside. "Just like old times, huh."

"You're not still afraid, are you?"

She smiled, running a hand through the ebony spikes. "It was only a child's fear."

"That's too bad. Now, I don't have an excuse to hold you anymore."

She scowled slightly at his soft chuckle, glaring up at him. He swiftly captured her lips, silencing any protests from the woman. She rolled her eyes, tugging his hair in retaliation. "You're not getting out of that that easily."


End file.
